Pharmacy Daily | Propoxyphene axed

FOLLOWING a request by the US Food and Drug Administration, Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals has agreed to withdraw the brand version of the prescription pain medication propoxyphene from the US market. The withdrawal follows the finding that propoxyphene puts patients at risk of potentially serious or even fatal heart rhythm abnormalities, meaning its benefits no longer outweigh its risks. The FDA has also written withdrawal requests to generic manufacturers of propoxyphene, however as yet there have been no further withdrawals. MEANWHILE the FDA has approved Xgeva (denosumab) for the prevention of skeletal-related events in patients with cancer that has spread and damaged the bone. A monoclonal antibody, Xgeva targets a protein involved in cancer-related bone destruction called human RANKL. Xgeva is not approved for patients with multiple myeloma or other cancers of the blood.

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